As the latest step in its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill today (Sept. 15) submitted its Climate Action Plan to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. In 2007, Carolina was one of the first universities to make this commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its campus and offset all its greenhouse gas emissions. The pledge now has 650 signatories.
Carolina has already adopted 60 percent of the tangible actions specified in the commitment by establishing a policy that all new campus construction be built to at least the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard or equivalent; requiring purchase of Energy Star-certified products in all areas for which these ratings exist; and encouraging the use of and providing access to public transportation.
The ACUPCC also requires regular reports from all its signatories. Last year, Carolina completed and published a comprehensive inventory of its 2007 greenhouse gas emissions. This year’s Climate Action Plan updates this emissions inventory and uses that data, along with development plans and growth estimates, to project the carbon footprint of the campus under current practices. The document then presents a comprehensive plan for achieving the goal of climate neutrality by mid-century.
“The Climate Action Plan represents a set of tangible actions that help manage the invisible contributors to global climate change,” said Daniel Arneman, Ph.D., the UNC greenhouse gas emissions specialist who prepared the plan with input and feedback from across campus. “Only the highest impact solutions are described in this Climate Action Plan, but scores of others will allow for continuous improvement in a variety of UNC’s business processes.”
Near-term alternatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions include increasing the efficiency of chiller plants, managing computer sleep and standby modes and improving teleconferencing facilities to reduce the need for air travel. The capture and destruction of methane gas from the Orange County landfill, slated to close in 2011, and the replacement of 20 percent of the coal with torrefied wood (a charcoal-like substance) at the University’s cogeneration plant are other strategies to decrease emissions by 2025. In the mid- to long-term, solar thermal panels, heat recovery chillers and a biomass gasification plant could provide additional carbon abatement, according to the plan.
UNC’s 2009 Climate Action Plan: http://www.climate.unc.edu/portfolio/
UNC’s 2007 Greenhouse Gas Inventory: http://sustainability.unc.edu/Portals/0/Documents/UNC_Chapel_Hill_GHG_Inventory.pdf
Energy Services contact: Daniel Arneman
News Services contact: Susan Houston
